Purling Hiss

Just as some bands make you want to start bands, some labels make you want to start putting out your own stuff. Woodsist Records has done enough without having to inspire a whole new generations of D.I.Y. imprints, as the vast well of talent it draws from seems far from drying, with the past month having seen them put out the debut album by Philadelphia’s Purling Hiss. Whilst not quite the kind of preposition that’s going to make you want to pick up a guitar, it’s an expansive racket that draws influence from all over the spectrum to complete it’s sloppy jams.

The project is the work of Mike Polizze, who spends the rest of his time with lo-fi punks Birds of Maya, the low production values seemingly a recurring theme. There’s nothing short or sharp about this, with songs more likely to tip the 10 minute mark than clock in at under three minutes, the kind of room needed to make the kind of shambolic psyche masterpieces Purling Hiss is clearly geared towards. It’s almost as if a series of rock classics have been flattened, taken apart and turned into something infinitely more exciting. The buzz around this kind of fuzzy drawl has long since cooled, but it’s unlikely Mike cares too much – and 12 minutes in to ‘Purple Hiss’, it’s unlikely you will either.